Slumber My Darling
by feefsmall
Summary: Just a short piece which I decided to write after hearing the song "Slumber my Darling". Abby recalls happy and sad memories in her life at a time of trouble.


**Note**: Just a short piece, which I decided to write after hearing "Slumber my Darling" originally by Stephen Collins Foster but the version I heard, was by Alison Krauss. 

Sorry If I depress, confuse or mortify you all. I'm not the best of fic writers. I just had to use this song. In case you get confused, the sections of stars are flashbacks. Duh! Oh, and the formatting's a bit wonky for some reason. Blame Microsoft Word!

Thanks to pizza, just because made me watch Alias, and I heard the song in Alias. Plus, I totally am addicted that that show now!

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The mother gracefully smoothes over the sheets on the cot ridding them of any stray creases.

_Slumber, my darling, thy mother is near,  
Guarding thy dreams from all terror and fear,_

Moving her hand through her little girl's blonde hair she feels a tear drop to the ground. 

_Sunlight has pass'd and the twilight has gone,  
Slumber, my darling, the night's coming on._

As she watches the child lying peacefully she recalls a happy time.

_*******_

"I'm asking you if you are ready?"

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"To be my wife."

"John, I.. Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious in my whole life."

_*******_

The ring was beautiful. Yes, she had seen it before when she found it in his coat that night after dinner, but it seemed to look more beautiful then, as he slipped it on her finger. 

Closing the door, Abby walks down a dark corridor, 

_*******_

"I'm sorry. There's no heartbeat. "

"What?…could you check again?"

"I'm sorry but…"

"Please, John, tell her to check again, there must have been a mistake…"

"Abby, he's gone…"

_*******_

They had been trying to get pregnant for about 6 months without success and when a test finally came back positive, their happiness was to be sort lived.

Remembering the baby she miscarried all those years ago, just a year after her marriage, she stops by a window and opens the blinds. Light pours in to erase the darkness.

_*******_

"That's it, all over. Congratulations, you have a baby girl."

"Is she okay?"

"She's going to be fine…"

"John…"

"I'm here, right here…"

"John, please.. check that she's okay."

_*******_

She remembers all the emotions running through her head. Relief, worry, love. The greatest of these was love, love for her daughter, love for her husband and love for the baby she had lost. 

_Sweet visions attend thy sleep,_

_Fondest, dearest to me,_

_While others their revels keep,  
I will watch over thee._

_*******_

"Look at her, she's smiling…"

"Can you believe we made something so wonderful?"

"She has Abby eyes…"

"Yeah she does, doesn't she?"

"She kind of has your nose too …poor thing!"

"Well, lets just hope she doesn't have your sense on humour."

"Now you're really asking for it. What do you think Molly? Should I tickle Mommy? What was that? Yes?"

"Carter no… don't.."

_*******_

_Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,_

_The wandering dews by the flow'rs are caressed_

Looking past the door at her husband lying peacefully, Abby remembers their three year anniversary.

_*******_

"Its beautiful, thank you. "

"Do you want me to help you put it on now?"

"Of course, I'll never take it off."

"Not even in the shower?"

"Well, maybe not in the shower, but all the rest of the time."

_*******_

It was a necklace with a locket. Carter had even put pictures of him and Molly in it.

_*******_

"I don't know why you call her Molly, Abby, her nickname is Milly."

"Well, I don't want her to get teased at school. They'll call her Silly Milly or something. "

_*******_

Sitting down on the bed she leans over and kisses his forehead softly. 

_Slumber, my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,_

_And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm._

_*******_****

 "I'll see you later on. I love you."

"I love you too. Have a nice day at work."

"Bye Bye Molly."

"Wave Bye Bye to Daddy Molly."

_***********_

Remembering the smile on her husband's face when the little girl sweetly flapped her hand as a signal of farewell, Abby feels another tear drop the ground. 

_Slumber, my darling, till morn's blushing ray_

_Brings to the world the glad tidings of day;_

"Abby."

Abby watches as he turns his head around to meet her gaze. 

"Can you do me a favour?"

"Of course, anything."

"Could you bring Molly through?"

"Of course. I'll be right back."

Abby gives his hand a squeeze before leaving the room again to walk down the corridor again. 

Opening the door, she is surprised to see the little girl sitting up playing with a small teddy bear. As she walks over to the cot, the child's head and arms come up and she is met with a wide smile. 

"You want up?"

Abby takes her daughter in her arms and leaves the room again.

"Do you want to see Da Da? Lets go and see Da Da."

_Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight--_

_Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight,_

_*******_

"Hold on Molly, mummy's coming. Just let me get the phone first."

"Hello?"

"Abby?"

"Hey Susan, could you just hold on a minute? Molly's crying."

"Abby, this is important. "

"What's wrong?"

"Its Carter…."

 _*******_

"Look, there's Daddy, Do you want to show Daddy some walking?"

Abby places the toddler down on her feet and holds one of her hands while they walk towards the bed. 

"Woah, what a big girl you are. You'll soon be ready for Everest. " 

"Don't encourage her."

Abby sits down on the bed once again and places Molly in front of her. Carter takes his hand and places it on the girl's head, running it through the curls, just like her mother had done not so long ago.

"Abby, I…"

Abby puts a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh, you need your rest."

_Thy pillow shall sacred be_

_From all outward alarms;_

_*******_

"Excuse me, my husband's been brought up here from the ER for surgery, Dr Carter, can you tell me what's going on?"

"As far as I know, they are still working on him, if you'd like to take a seat.."

"I don't believe this is happening. How could anyone get a gun past security anyway?"

"They're doing everything they can to help him."

"I know."

_*******_

"Abby, there's a few things.. a few things that you need to know."

"Later Carter, why don't you just get some rest."

"Abby…"

Tears roll down Abby's cheeks as she tries to hide her face. Feeling the familiar touch of her husband's hands on her cheek, she turns to face him.

_Thou, thou are the world to me_

_In thine innocent charms._

_*******_

"He received a bullet to the chest which we managed to remove.,"

"So, he's going to be okay?"

"I'm afraid that there was just too much damage to his lungs, and there was massive internal bleeding."

"Is he.."

"We managed to stabilize him, for now, but I'm afraid that…"

_*******_

The surgeon needn't have explained anymore, Abby knew all too well what was going to happen. He was giving her 'the talk' that she knew off by heart. He was telling her that her loved one was going to die, pass away, fall into a deep sleep and never wake up. In just a few hours, he would be leaving her and their daughter alone. 

_Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,_

_The wandering dews by the flow'rs are caressed,_

"About the funeral.."

"John, please.."

"I don't want a big thing, just family and a close friends."

"I don't believe this.."

Abby gets up and starts to pace the room.

"Abby.."

"How could this happen, I.."

"Come here, please.."

Abby goes and sits down on the bed, rubbing her tear stained face.

"When I was stabbed. I thought that was it, my life was over. "

Carter takes a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. 

"As I lay on the floor, I thought about the things that I had done and the things I hadn't done. There were a lot of things which I regretted, a lot of things I wish I had thought twice about doing, but now..Abby.. I wouldn't have changed a thing."

Abby leans over and puts her head on his stomach, soaking his bed covers in tears. 

"In an ironic sort of way, me taking drugs was the best thing that ever happened to me. It brought you into my life. Abby, you and Molly have made my life greater than I ever imagined it could be, I…"

Abby looks up and sees that tears are running down her husband's face. She uses her hand to brush them away. 

"John, we're going to be fine. I'm going to take care of her, I'll tell her all about how. I'll tell her how much… how much you love her. I won't let her forget you. "

She puts her hand in his and lies down next to him on the bed. They lie like this for a while, watching their daughter playing with some toys. As his breathing gets staggered, Abby grips Carter's hand and lets the tears fall. 

_Slumber, my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,_

_And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm._


End file.
